Entries Tagged 'Beer' ↓
January 6th, 2008 — Beer, Entertainment, Flatiron District, Fusion Cuisine, Middle Eastern, restaurant reviews
ilili
236 5th Avenue (27th St.)
New York, NY 10001
Phone Number 212-683-2929
Web site www.ililinyc.com
Cuisine Contemporary Lebanese
The Best of Old Lebanon and Modern Mediterranean
Come to Life in New York City with the Opening of ilili
Award-winning website, Punchin-dot-com, features the Walman Report and reviews of restaurants, travel, wine and theater. Old Lebanon and new Mediterranean meet on 5th Avenue with the opening of ilili, a stunning contemporary Lebanese restaurant offering inspired modern cuisine. Not even in Beirut can you get food this inventive. New York’s most exciting new restaurants offer Global, upmarket less familiar (to Americans) ethnic cuisines, packaged for a hip and knowledgeable clientel.
Served within a glamorous ocher dining room, Owner / Executive Chef Philippe Massoud’s menu offers appetizers like a mélange of Eggplant, Garlic, Tahini, Olive Oil and Pomegranate and the famed Manti dumplings, filled with Spiced Lamb, Tomatoes, Mint and Yogurt Foam. Progressive dishes include Mussels with licorice-liqueur, Garlic and Peppers and Kashkawan Cheese, baked with Duck Egg and Desert Truffle, served in a black skillet.
Not to be missed masterpieces include Brussels sprouts, fried w/grapes, fig puree, walnuts & mint (the best version of this mistreated vegetable ever encountered); Amber Jack Raw thin sliced tuna w/wasabi-spiced baba ghannouj;Parchment Filets of Rouget
w/ pita chips, Tahini, and lemon kibbeh Naya and buger-of-burgers: Spiced Beef Kafta, stuffed with flecks of buttery Foie Gras.
There is wonderful seafood as well as kebabs made with tender Kobe beef. For a no-brainer, go for the Lebanese Tasting menu. Complementing the international cuisine, there’s an impressive wine list featuring favorites from Lebanon and the Mediterranean, with a terrific selection by the glass and an interesting Cava Rose, as well as superb cocktails, whether they be a classic martini or the house margarita (an intoxicating mélange of Patron Silver, Grand Marnier, Cointreau, Fresh Pomegranate, Lime and Sumac). Phoenician Lemonade is the runner up. For dessert, stick with the classic Essmalieh. a Napoleon of shredded philo and Achta (like clotted cream) and you’ll swoon. Service is wonderful.
Our first restaurant to review in the new year, ilili, 236 5th Avenue, is uniquely upscale, offbeat, and is not to be missed. That rates "A Major" on the Walman Report.
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August 24th, 2007 — Beer, Good, Indian, Reviews, restaurant reviews
The Walman Restaurant Report
Chola
Rating: A+
Copyright 2007 by Punch In International Syndicate.
Chola, an attractive restaurant offering eclectic Indian cuisine, is one of the best small Indian restaurants in New York. Singular appetizers include "iddly," a southern specialty of steamed lentil and rice patties and "uthappam," a vegetable pancake. Also, masala "dosai," the magnificent crepe made with lentils and rice flour, wrapped around potatoes and a fiery chutney is a hard-to-find dish uptown.(See recipe below) For entrees, the standout is a wonderful chicken in a mild sauce with raisins & nuts. Curries are wonderful as well, and it’s wise to experiment with the Chola signatures, such as Roasted chicken tenders, raisins, bay leaf and cashew sauce and Lamb Pepper Fry (Spicy) Everything is special, including some terrific vegetable dishes (three versions of dal) and succulent seafood.
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August 5th, 2007 — Beer, Casual, Good, Inexpensive
ZIPPER FACTORY
Location/Phones: 336 W 37th at 9th Avenue NYC
THE ZIPPER THEATER 212.563.0485
ZIPPER FACTORY TAVERN & BALCONY BAR (212) 695-4600
Date Established: 3/2007
Concept: Zipper Factory is an converted factory housing a theater, tavern and bars. It is located at the edge of New York City’s Garment District and the intersection of one of its oldest ethnic food shopping strips, 9th Avenue.
The Space: Theater: 200 seats; Tavern: 80 seats; Balcony Bar-50 seats; outdoor bar-25 seats.
Cuisine: 9th Avenue Butcher Shop inspired Gastropub with a focus on charcrouterie.
Chef: Larry Kolar
Price Range: $25 and under
Signature Dishes: Home made sausages, kielbasas, salumi and condiments; pastas; meat balls.
Beverage Program: Focus on beers and whiskeys
Hours: Lunch, Pre-theater, Dinner, Late Night
Policies: Credit Cards: Visa, MasterCard and Amex.
Reservations: Recommended.
Wheelchair accessible
Zipper Theater and Zipper Factory Tavern & Balcony Bar
Award-winning website & blog, Punchin-dot-com, features the Walman Report and reviews of restaurants, travel, wine and theater. The building is an old zipper factory on the edge of the garment district. Home to The Zipper Theater and Zipper Factory Tavern & Balcony Bar.
Zipper Factory is inspired by London’s growing trend to mix pub culture with playhouse art. There are 3 bars, fabulous food by New York’s most versatile chef, chef Larry Kola, and history is recaptured through his home made charcuterie: sausages, kielbasas, salumi, meats, pastas & burgers.
Homey entrees include superlative roast chicken, home made kraut (the best I’ve ever tasted), potato chips that are to die for, AND the town’s best dessert: A Beer-Based-Frozen-Fudgesicle. With its really bellow-the-belt bar, great beer & wine list & late night menus, Zipper Factory Tavern & Balcony Bar, 336 W. 37th St., at 9th Avenue, is open from happy hour to pre-theater, through theater and into late night & is one of NY’s most unique restaurants.
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